Concealed Heart
by BeeJay.W
Summary: Hijirikawa Masato and Jinguji Ren are both scions of opposing financial companies. They met as children, but their friendship was strained when family duty was prioritized, and the ever growing distance eventually separated them completely. But was that the only reason they grew apart? When they're reunited as roommates at Saotome Academy, how do they cope? [M for later chapters?]
1. Chapter 1

I have nothing to do with the ownership or creation of the Uta no Prince-sama anime, game or manga. Credit for characters and story goes to each creator/artist/company respectively (love their work). I also do not have any connection to ownership or design of Instagram. Cover image is a render done by Rikku923 on deviantart; image originally from

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It was the day before the school term officially started at Saotome Academy, a refined and renowned school of the arts that educated aspiring artists of the music world. Earlier that day had been the opening ceremony and homeroom introduction, and the rest of the day was set aside for new and returning students to settle-in to their dormitories. He'd had an unpleasant encounter with a certain blond hours beforehand during lunch, but apart from that the day had been fairly ordinary. Hijirikawa Masato, dragging his wheeled suitcase behind him, strode the corridor of the boys dormitory searching for the room number that matched with the key he'd been given by his homeroom sensei, idol Tsukimiya Ringo. He was still reeling with skepticism upon discovering that the incredibly feminine sensei was in fact male.

Toward the end of the hall he finally spotted the matching number. Dodging the other teenage boys crowding the hall, he made his way toward the door, noticing that it was slightly ajar. '_My roommate must have arrived already,'_ he thought noncommittally, glancing quickly at the nameplate beside the door frame. He had to look a second time to confirm what he was seeing was the truth.

It was his worst nightmare.

Jinguji Ren was his roommate.

'_Of all people, it has to be _that_ playboy!'_

His hand ceased before touching the door knob, hovering in the air with hesitation, and the thought of swapping rooms already on his mind.

'_I cannot run away from my past forever. If I'm truly a man worthy of the Hijirikawa name I must face my mistakes,'_ he thought with determination, gripping the handle firmly as he threw the door wide open with a little more force than was necessary.

Jinguji was hanging a dartboard on the wall on his side of the room, and ceased his installation to say in his most charming voice "ah, good afternoon. I was wondering when you would turn up, Hijirikawa~ " The dark haired boy turned his nose up and didn't acknowledge the greeting, scoffing a little in his mind at how ridiculous the blond sounded. '_I'm not a girl, he shouldn't use that flirtatious tone with me.'_

Seeing that Jinguji had already dumped his things on one of the beds to claim it as his own, Hijirikawa moved directly to the unoccupied one, trying to focus on walking without faltering. However concentrating on walking made it all the more difficult to remain steady on his feet, especially when he felt those icy blue eyes watching him. Hijirikawa could only imagine the smirk on Jinguji's face, plotting ways to annoy him and make him as uncomfortable as possible in his presence.

Placing his suitcase atop his mattress, from behind Hijirikawa on the other side of the room came Jinguji's false whining voice. "Don't you think it's rude to so obviously ignore my polite greeting, especially when we haven't seen one-another in such a loooong~ time?"

Irritated, Hijirikawa whirled around, his posture and tone stiff and clipped. "Good afternoon, Jinguji. It's pleasant to see you after such a long time. I would strongly appreciate it if you refrained from invading my personal space whilst we are cohabiting in this room, as I intend to do the same. Now if you would not mind, I would prefer to quietly focus on settling in without annoyance. Satisfied?"

Jinguji sat on his bed with a superior expression on his face, twirling a single dart between his deft fingers as he looked up through his eyelashes seductively. "Interesting choice of words."

A confused scowl breaking the closed expression on his face momentarily, Hijirikawa replied "pardon?"

" 'Co-habitation.' Isn't that term used to describe unmarried couples living together?" Jinguji winked mischievously.

Hijirikawa told himself the somersault his heart performed that instant was a result of his irritation. Snappily he replied "you know perfectly well I didn't mean it in that sense!" He turned back to his suitcase, violently unzipping it. An amused (and condescending!) 'hmmmm' sounded from the other side of the room.

Hijirikawa felt his face warm in embarrassment. '_Curses, I lost my composure for a moment there. Why did I have such rotten luck as to be stuck with him? A better term would be anti-luck."_

As Hijirikawa neatly removed some casual clothes from his suitcase, sorting them into winter- and summer-wear piles, he heard the faint creaking of mattress springs as weight was removed from it. He glanced over his shoulder, ready to swat away a pesky certain _someone_ should he be approaching, and was relieved to see that he'd resumed adjusting the dartboard on the wall.

His eyes lingered for a second, captivated by the length and luster of Jinguji's hair. It had been much shorter the last time he'd seen him, and just now he'd noticed the ear piercing. That was new. Unexpectedly the blond turned his head, making eye contact. His piercing, icy blue eyes looked sly as he said "not straight", over-exaggerating the movement of adjusting the board. He was wearing another one of his smouldering smiles. Fuming, Hijirikawa snatched up one of the throw pillows adorning his bed and literally threw it at Jinguji, who caught it expertly. "My, oh my, what a temper, Hijirikawa~ "

Ashamed of his atrocious behavior, Hijirikawa turned away again, intently folding and re-folding his clothes. Jinguji approached as silently as a cat, suddenly popping up beside him, throw pillow held in front of him like a shield. '_He isn't wrong to do so,_' thought Hijirikawa as he clenched his fists, using as much of the self-restraint he had been imbibed with due to his strict upbringing. Hijirikawa gratefully accepted the pillow as Jinguji held it out to him, however the words 'thank-you' that left his lips were at odds with the thoughts in his mind. In reality all he wanted to do was sling insult after insult at the blond, maybe one of his fists into that oh-so-perfect face. But he wasn't a naturally violent, or expressive, person, so such thoughts frightened him a little.

His anger subsided somewhat, but not the intense pain from those two simple, meaningful words Jinguji had teased him with. To anyone else it meant nothing, but Hijirikawa felt the weight of subtle implication. The way he said it... '_not straight_'... It brought up memories he would have rather forgotten. The bluenette felt betrayed at the blonds teasing. Though they hadn't officially come to an agreement, he had thought that should they meet, they would never utter a word on the incident ever again in living memory. But Jinguji just _had_ to be his roommate, and he just _had_ to have grown up as a shameless playboy with a proclivity for fooling around.

'_Where did his cuteness disappear to?'_ Thought Hijirikawa, casting a glance over his shoulder. He turned back to the folded clothes on his bed, shaking his head as if to remove something. Maybe the faint redness that crept onto his cheeks. '_That was a long time ago, he's not the same person and neither am I. I like the Jinguji from 5 years ago, not this Jinguji. I don't know him.'_

Bothered at his own thoughts, Hijirikawa began exasperatedly shoving the many-times-refolded clothes into his set of drawers. _'I should not have gotten acquainted with him in the first place. He made me realize my inconvenient preferences and since then I've been in a horrible predicament. My family would disown me if they discovered how appalling I am.'_ A moroseness overtook him with that thought.

Hijirikawa glanced at Jinguji through the reflection of the mirror above his chest of drawers. The blond appeared to be finished with his ministrations on the dart-board and was now lying on his side on the bed. He had propped himself up on one elbow and was watching Hijirikawa, who promptly diverted his gaze.

Uncomfortable, he felt an urgent need to escape the room, but he was expecting the rest of his belongings to be delivered later that day and didn't trust Jinguji enough to accept the delivery. Reluctantly he remained in the room, returning to his suitcase and from within it extracting a novel. Laying down atop the blanket he began reading.

There was an unpleasant silence in the room, though Jinguji seemed to be unaffected as he hummed quietly while messing around on his mobile.

_There's nothing odd, I'm just being paranoid and overly conscious. No, I don't mean that. I'm not paying attention to him and I don't care whether he looks at me or not. I just have to read,'_ Hijirikawa thought, intently gazing at the page. Clearing his mind he proceeded to read, and had nearly finished the first chapter when Jinguji, with a huge sigh moaned "don't be a bore~ Come over here and go a round with me."

The bluenette narrowed his eyes at the blond, who had rolled over onto his stomach and was looking at Hijirikawa with his face propped up and squished by both hands, swinging his legs just like a child. Hijirikawa knew Jinguji was referring to a round of darts but his mind wandered into vaguely indecent territory, causing him to feel massively flustered. He was only glad his voice was steady as he replied in a somewhat short tone "I'm reading. Go find someone else to play with." He held up the book for emphasis before returning his gaze to the page.

He heard Jinguji sigh, and could still feel his intense light-blue eyes piercing him like icy shards, making it nearly impossible to absorb the words inscribed onto the paper. Upon reading the same sentence for the 17th time without comprehending and Jinguji's umpteenth bored sigh, he relented.

Snapping his book shut Hijirikawa huffed "Fine, but _only_ one game. You'll probably win anyway, I don't see why you're so persistent," injecting as much of his irritation as possible. Jinguji pouted with one eye closed like a lazy wink and in his smooth-talking voice answered "I just want to play with you because it's been so long. Do you need me to go easy on you?"

Hijirikawa mumbled, just loudly enough for the blond to hear "don't insult me. Another word and I'll be aiming the dart at you, not the board." Jinguji obviously wanted to say something along the lines 'my, how feisty~' but he held up his hands submissively and zipped his lips.

Hijirikawa approached warily and Jinguji held out his hand, offering three darts to the bluenette. "Here, these ones are yours. You can throw first. We're playing 301 Darts. You know the rules right?"

Hijirikawa gave a stiff shake of his head. Jinguji explained without complaint. "Basically, we each start with 301 points and we have to reduce it to zero or the number closest to zero, and whoever does wins. Red zones are double points and green is triple. Get it?"

Hijirikawa nodded, accepting the darts. '_He's less pushy and mean than he used to be_' thought Hijirikawa wonderingly, trying to ignore the fact that their hands were touching without flinching away.

Disgruntled with how his stomach churned Hijirikawa imagined the target of the dart board to be Jinguji's face. However he hesitated just as he threw, unable to maintain the image, and the dart stuck into the wooden backing of the board. Jinguji chuckled and Hijirikawa had to stop himself from shuffling uncomfortably with humiliation. "Honestly, that was as bad as when we were kids." As the blond said this he threw a bulls-eye with practiced ease. "50 points down, 251 to go for me," he said, inputting the score onto his phones note pad.

Annoyed, Hijirikawa took his time to aim properly, yet when he threw it the dart stuck into the outer ring of the three-point lane, only reducing by 6 points. "It's obvious there is little probability in my victory, why are you insistent on making me join you in such a pointless game?" His face was still mostly expressionless, however there seemed to be a pouting quality to his expression, which became more noticeable when Jinguji threw another dart only centimeters from the bulls-eye in the 20's lane.

Jinguji cast a smirk toward the bluenette. "Sulking, are we?" he chimed playfully. Hijirikawa straightened his posture. "The heir to Hijirikawa financial group does not sulk!" he energetically denied.

Hijirikawa threw his third and last dart with little aim, but fueled with his vexation toward Jinguji. Somehow, it managed to pierce the red felt of the bulls-eye with a soft thud. A little surprised himself, he was (only a little) flattered when the older boy praised him. "Nice one! I knew you could do it if you tried! "

"It's no big deal, it was only a fluke," mumbled Hijirikawa abashedly, slightly pleased.

"Is that so?" pondered Jinguji, gaze lingering on the bluenettes face for a moment before he threw. Miraculously, his well honed aim managed to miss completely and stick the dart into the wooden backing, just like Hijirikawa's first dart. "As I see it, it doesn't matter whether it was a once-off or not, it still happened. You should take pride in it even if it happens only once. But the game's still got plenty to go and we don't know what will happen. You never know, maybe it wasn't a fluke and you're great." The smile Jinguji gave seemed genuine, and Hijirikawa's blue eyes widened a fraction in astonishment. '_That was... Unexpected.'_ The bluenette was slightly relieved Jinguji was facing away from him while he collected the darts. He could imagine he had been showing a slightly impressed expression, and was reluctant to let Jinguji see it.

Jinguji offered the three darts to Hijirikawa again, questioning "so, do you want to continue?"

With determination printed on his features Hijirikawa snatched away the darts, retorting "a man of my status doesn't back out of a challenge."

'_I need to calm down,'_ Hijirikawa chastised himself, slackening his expression as much as possible. '_Not because I'm jittery about him, but because I'm getting too cocky about a single bulls-eye. I still need to focus.'_

The game continued.

Of course, the end result was as predicted and the game was over in less than half an hour. Jinguji simply had much more practice and experience. '_He was definitely cheating. He must know that being watched makes me uncomfortable,_' scrutinized Hijirikawa. '_Not because it's _him_, though,_' he amended. Aloud he said, "I told you this would happen. There's no point in playing a game when you already know whether you will win or lose." Jinguji draped his arm around the bluenettes shoulder in a consoling gesture, which was entirely unexpected. "Ah~ but you did nearly overtake me that one time, remember? And you ended up getting two bulls-eyes. I was starting to get scared~"

Hijirikawa had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes as he shrugged Jinguji off. His pulse was racing slightly, but his face didn't feel warm. '_Only a little shocked, that's all it is,_' Hijirikawa mentally comforted himself. "You're just being patronizing, now. Would you mind letting me continue reading my book without further interruption?" It felt slightly difficult to get his words around the lump in his throat, but he was grateful his voice didn't waver. Hijirikawa didn't wait for an answer before he turned and sat himself on his bed once again, picking up his book and holding it unnaturally close to his face.

Jinguji studied the bluenettes actions, a little wounded. '_Does he hate me? I just want to reconnect our friendship from the old days. Surely that problem has been fixed?_' wondered Jinguji, unlocking his mobile. He opened Instagram and took a pouting selfie with the caption '_I think my childhood friend hates me now. What do I do? I'm so lonely...' _and a sad face emoji on the end.

Within seconds over 100 of his thousands of followers had liked it and half as many were commenting messages of consolation, offering to be his new friend. A number of girls even offered to be his girlfriend. It was a little jarring when he noticed a male offering the same thing. '_Ah, but at least they care about me,_' he mulled, looking at Hijirikawa with a small, glum smile. The bluenette shuffled his book as if looking away. That cheered him a little, thinking that Hijirikawa had been watching him. Without warning Hijirikawa said "why are you looking so smug?" It pained Jinguji slightly to learn that the bluenette saw him in such a way, but he was a heartened that he had spoken to him without prompting. The blond widened his smirk and replied "Hmmm~ I wonder" as he winked. Hijirikawa rolled his eyes obviously at that. '_Ah, that's so childish of you, Hijirikawa. How cute~' _chuckled Jinguji. Jinguji frowned at himself. '_It's only because it's childish that I thought it was cute. He's not actually cute._'

The constant buzzing of new Instagram notifications began to grow bothersome, so he switched his phone off with a tired sigh. "Hijirikawa, I'm taking a nap. Feel free to join me." The bluenette scoffed, trying to contain how flustered he was. Without removing his eyes from the page he dully responded "I won't. I'm not a child who needs to nap during the day, unlike you."

Jinguji spoke into his pillow, his voice muffled and indistinct. "Since when were you so snappy, Hijirikawa. At least pretend we get along while we're sharing a room."

Hijirikawa groaned internally. He wanted to tell Jinguji that he'd missed him (only slightly) during the last five years, but... '_the last time I saw you I didn't want to be just friends. You should hate me. So why are you acting as if it doesn't concern you?_' He cast a sideways glance at Jinguji, who appeared to be snoozing already. The grip he had on his book slackened, along with his arms. He sprawled out on his bed, book resting open on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. _'Is it my fate to have a despicable life?'_

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I've never written tsundere before, so any feedback on that or anything else really is much appreciated ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

*Flashback*

Gaze glued downwards as his mind drifted with boredom, Hijirikawa Masato, age nine, was currently attending a function with his parents.

Everything glistened and sparkled as if the whole ballroom were made from precious gems. World class chefs labored in the kitchen to prepare exquisite dishes, tables overflowed with gourmet treats for the hundreds of guests to partake from. Chandeliers, lavishly adorned with clear jewels descended from the ceiling, illuminating everything.

The women were also dressed as magnificently as the room was decorated. They wore flowing evening gowns in all shapes, fabrics and colors, their hairs piled neatly and prettily atop their petite heads. Their necks, wrists and hands were adorned with glittering ornaments. The men were dressed impressively as well, in slick black suits and tuxedos.

Wait-staff wandered through the thicket of chattering, giggling and laughing people, offering refreshments with wide, jovial smiles. All in all, it could be considered a prestigious, upper-class event, but to young Hijirikawa Masato it was boring. There were no other children in attendance from what the blue haired boy had seen, as most of the attendees were many-times-older professional business men and women. So, for the last few hours he'd been silently standing in a secluded corner, observing how his father and current head of Hijirikawa Financial Group interacted with the potential customers and partners.

His mouth watered at the aroma of delectable foods, but for some reason he could not for the life of him bear to eat whilst in sight of his father. The fact he was in a room packed to the brim with people also held him back. He felt that, being the only child in the room their eyes would all be on him, and though his stomach churned with hunger, it also clenched in sickness at the thought.

Oh, how Hijirikawa wanted to escape this atmosphere and find peace. He would much rather be at home, practicing piano and eating dinner with the old butler, who was much more of a tender, caring father-figure than his actual father. With a sigh, once again thinking '_I want to go home_' the blue haired boy crossed his arms over his chest.

It was then a movement caught his attention. Following the source, his gaze turned to discover a boy around his age leaning on the wall beside him. He had strawberry-blond hair, and his bangs hung over his face in a stylish fashion. But that was not the most noticeable thing about him. It was his eyes. They were an incredible light blue, like Caribbean waters or ice, and the whiteness of his tail-coat seemed to make them all the more striking. He took all that information in with only a rapidly averted glance.

He turned his eyes down once again, unsure of what to do or if the boys intention was to talk to him. A few moments later, in a bored, observing tone the boy said "boring, isn't it?" Keeping his face as closed and stoic as possible so as to hide his bewilderment at being spoken to, he just happened to remain silent as if he were ignoring the boy. The blond repeated "it's boring, right?" as he turned, in his peripheral vision Hijirikawa saw the corners of his lips pulled up into a mischievous grin. He glanced over, and an expectant look was plastered all over the boys face. The blond seemed pleased that the bluenette had acknowledged him this time, and his smile stretched even further. It was charming. '_He'd make a good businessman_,' thought Hijirikawa. "Wanna skip out of here?" the blond proposed in a silky voice.

The blue haired boy couldn't contain his shock and confusion any longer, and it must have shown on his expression. He quickly removed the gape from his face and replaced it with a smooth smile, concealing his excited turmoil. He had a feeling he'd be scolded later for it, but he really was incredibly bored, and something about the blond boys aura was reckless, enigmatic and attractive, saying 'come on, follow me.'

"Yeah," he agreed. The blond thrust out his hand, and Hijirikawa shook it. "The name's Jinguji Ren, but you can just call me Ren" he beamed. The bluenette's heart stammered with wonder and glee. Never before had he had a friend his own age to call by their first name. "N-nice to meet you, I'm Hijirikawa Masato." He stammered slightly as he spoke, but the blond didn't seem to notice it, or was pretending not to. "Then you're Masato" Ren asserted in a friendly tone. This time the small smile on Masato's lips was genuine, and the faint tinge of pink on his cheeks was evidence. He was incredibly happy and embarrassed, not only about being called by his first name but calling someone else by their first name.

Unexpectedly, Ren leaned in to whisper conspiratorially "okay, now we just have to sneak out without being seen. Do you swear to follow my lead?" Masato nodded energetically, smile getting slightly wider as he said in an equally low whisper "aye aye captain!" Ren chuckled, keeping his grip on Masato's hand as he crouched down, beginning to shuffle between the press of bodies. Masato followed suit. They stopped abruptly as a waiter passed in front of them, narrowly avoiding a disastrous crash. Without further ado, they proceeded to duck beneath the white cloth of a round table.

Masato vaguely noticed that his heart was racing with thrill, but after taking a quick peek from beneath the draped tablecloth to ensure the coast was clear, Ren was already leading Masato from beneath the table, once again ducking and weaving between people as if they were ninja's. They repeated this process at least five times. Under the table then out in the open racing to the next one.

They halted for a moment under the last table closest to the door. Allowing some time to catch their breath before the last and longest sprint to freedom. Masato was shaking. It was then he realized he was giggling furiously. Ren put a finger over both of their lips, hissing "shh!" not unkindly. The bluenette hastily covered his grin. Ren leaned in again to whisper, his eyes dark and serious, "our mission is to escape from this boring party and this is the last leg. If we get caught here it's all over. Are you ready to run as if your life depends on it?" Expression suddenly as tense as Ren's, Masato gave a brief nod.

Ren peered out from beneath the table cloth, monitoring and observing in a hushed voice "No guards stationed at the door. Our way looks clear. Doors are open and ready to be passed through. Looks pretty dark outside, but I'm sure we'll be fine."

Still gripping Masato's hand, Ren said "Ready? On the count of three. One... Two... Go!" Without further ado they sprinted the last leg to escape, not ceasing until they were pass the balcony, down the stairs and were 20 meters up the driveway.

The wind gently passed over them, gently as butterflies landing on flowers. It was not particularly hot nor cold, but it was a pleasant temperature. Outside was much dimmer than it was within the manor, and it took a moment for Masato's eye's to adjust, but when they did he looked up.

The sky remained cloudless, revealing the billions of stars speckling the deep blue. Masato was distracted for a moment as he star-gazed, awed by the brilliance. Familiar only with living in the city, never before had he seen such a clear sky and such a multitude of distant suns.

The sound of shifting gravel brought Masato's attention back to earth. It was Ren, who was currently looking up in wonderment similar to how Masato thought he's looked only moments before. Ren's face was mostly slack, but there was the tiniest, most relaxed smile tugging the corners of his mouth upwards. Looking at that pleasant face, something within Masato became uneasy. But it wasn't a negative feeling. Something felt like it was heating up his chest. '_Am I getting sick?_' Thought Masato as his stomach churned. '_Did I run too much? But I'm not breathless anymore. Must be because I'm hungry_,' and with that the thought was brushed aside.

Making him jump, Ren suddenly turned his gaze to Masato, startling him. "Do I have something on my face?" he asked, wiping his palm over his cheeks. Masato shook his head. Startling the bluenette, Ren suddenly exclaimed "Oh, that's right! I saw something as we were arriving. Follow me and I'll show you where it is."

Wondering what the mysterious 'it thing' was, Masato obliged. Following the drive-way a short distance, in no time at all they were descending a grassy slope adorned with a single enormous Oak tree. Something seemed odd-looking about the ground at the foot of the slope. It was darker and seemed to be moving. When they were closer, Masato realized that the thing making the ground look as if it were in motion were in fact ripples cause by the stirring of the wind, and the dark coloration was because it was an expanse of water.

Ren had lead him to a lake. On closer inspection the water, mostly still, mirrored the night sky. It was even more incredible than the sky itself. Masato felt that if he just took a step forward, the water would be solid like glass and he'd be walking in the night sky amongst the stars.

Masato couldn't hold back his bubbling amazement and exclaimed passionately: "Woah~ So pretty~!" Looking over to Ren to see if he was enjoying the view as much as he were, Masato was stunned to see him rolling up the legs of his pants, shining leather shoes and white socks discarded onto the ground as if they meant nothing, despite the obvious expense of the footwear.

"What are you doing?" queried Masato, confused.

Ren replied simply "we're going for a swim. Come on, take off your shoes too."

Masato gaped, dumbfounded. "Swimming? But there's no pool and it's dark. Besides, we don't have our bathers. Are you planning on getting your nice clothes soaked?"

With a stupid grin Ren replied "yep!" without any hesitation. "Who cares about getting our clothes a little wet? You can always just hang them up to dry. You need to loosen up, man. We're just splashing around in the shallow water anyway, it's not like we're doing freestyle or something" laughed Ren.

The blond boy stripped off his tail-coat and vest, revealing the crisp white button-up shirt beneath, tie flapping freely in the wind. Masato was completely intrigued. He'd never done anything like this, just playing. Ren's spontaneity was bringing out his childish spirit which had been locked away along with his freedom in his oppressive household.

The bluenette envied that about Ren. He was so gloomy and uninteresting, always alone and cared for only by an old butler completely unrelated to him by blood, yet the blond boy was cheerful, outgoing and friendly, exuding a natural 'well-loved by everyone around him' aura. Ren was Masato's complete opposite. '_He must have such a carefree life. I wonder what that's like._'

Masato's mulling was cut short when Ren exclaimed impatiently "what are you doing? Hurry up, slow coach." Without warning the blond crouched, hurriedly untying Masato's shoelaces, unbalancing him. Instinctively, in the split second before he tumbled onto his backside, the bluenette's hand darted out, grabbing Ren's should to steady himself. Heart thumping loudly in his ears with adrenaline, Masato yelled, slightly inflamed "give me a warning, will you!" Ren just grinned that slightly infuriating grin before resuming, flinging both of Masato's shoes over on top of his own shoes lying abandoned on the lake-edge.

Masato's black suit pants were only knee length, so they didn't need to be rolled up. Before Ren could move on to tearing Masato's jacket off his shoulders, the bluenette threw it away himself.

All preparations completed, Ren ran into the water, sloshing it around his ankles and calves, giving a shiver at the unexpected coldness. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" he beckoned to Masato. The blue haired boy tentatively approached the waters edge, reality setting in. He jumped backwards as the water rippled forward from Ren's movements, touching his toes. Pouting slightly, Masato replied "but it's cold and the mud feels gross between my toes!" Ren laughed. "Come on, it's no big deal. Aren't boys meant to play and get dirty? Don't be put off because of a little cold water and mud!"

Abashed, the bluenette averted his gaze, and the upset expression on his face made Ren stop laughing. The blond approached Masato, asking with concern and slight pity "you've never messed around in mud?"

Masato gave a curt shake of his head, ashamed as if it were something terrible.

Ren looked thoughtful for a moment, but soon that look was being replaced with mischievousness. He clapped a hand on Masato's shoulder and said confidently "there's always a first time for everything!" before promptly shoving the bluenette into the shallow water of the lake.

Masato stumbled, then feel backwards as he tripped over his own feet. Sputtering, he pointedly said "You! Ren you stupid-head! Dummy!" Ren was in hysterics of laughter as he joined the bluenette, rushing forward into the water once again. He tackled Masato playfully while yelling "you're such a stiff for a kid! Quit acting like a strict old man!", but Masato just squealed in distress "get off me! I'm drowning!"

Ren stood up, holding out his hand to help the other boy up, still chuckling. "Don't be silly, you're not drowning. You can swim, can't you?"

Scowling, Masato splashed Ren, who looked dumbfounded at the bluenettes slightly embarrassed face as he mumbled: "father said it wasn't necessary if I'm only running a company, so I've never had swimming lessons. It's not like I don't want to, it's that I'm not allowed to."

Ren splashed Masato back, seeming to brush over the fact that the bluenette couldn't swim. "That was for before" he said cheekily, poking his tongue out. "But you know" he continued casually, "if you wanted, I could show you the basics. It's important to at least know that much." Quite honestly, Masato was relieved that he didn't make a big deal out of it and thankful for the offer. But first... "Don't splash me!" he yelled, not angrily, as he splashed Ren again.

"Oi! No fair! We were tied, you didn't need to do it again!" laughed Ren as he returned the favor, and so ensued a splashing war. Their laughter echoed in the darkness as they teased one-another, splashing crazily, but within half an hour they were both panting and exhausted. They trudged out of the lake, the pair of them utterly drenched.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" spoke Ren through heaving breaths as he crumpled onto the grass. In the same manner of breathlessness, Masato responded "I think that might have been the most fun I've ever had" as he, too, collapsed onto the grass beside the blond boy. Turning his head to look into Ren's face, as sincerely as possible, the bluenette said "thank you."

Ren chuckled nervously, swishing his hand as if waving off the gratitude. "Come on, you can't be serious. This is pretty normal. I hang out with my friends like this all the time." Masato thought the blonds face looked slightly red, but couldn't be certain because of the poor illumination.

Masato looked back up at the sky. It was slightly disorienting to be beneath such a vast expanse of sky. He felt so tiny, more-so than when he'd been in that ballroom surrounded by towering adults. With a sigh Masato said "you're lucky to have friends and be able to play like this. I don't have any friends because I'm always being kept locked away to learn how to run the family company."

Ren 'hmmmm'd. "Ah, that sounds a lot like my older brother, Seiichirou. He's the oldest so he's inheriting. He always seems so stressed and up-tight. I don't think I'd be able to do it. And what's this about having no friends. I'm your friend, aren't I?" grinned Ren, poking Masato in the ribs. The bluenette exploded air, crunching up on himself into a ball. He'd turned beet-red "Don't, I'm... I'm really ticklish there okay?"

Ren grinned, flipping onto his stomach on the grass. "Ok, let's trade then. I know where you're most ticklish so I'll tell you where I'm most ticklish."

Masato frowned. "Why?"

Ren grinned, shrugging his shoulders and answering in a non-committal voice "it's just more fun that way. Anyway, I'm ticklish... Like, super-super reeeally ticklish on my neck."

Abruptly Ren was pouncing on Masato, straddling his waist to keep him in place as his fingers skimmed roughly over the bluenettes ribs, causing him to burst into ecstatic laughter so passionate tears fell from the corners of his clenched eyes. Wracked with spasms, Masato tried smacking Ren away but was too dull and slow as he gasped "stop! Stop it! I can't breathe!" while continuing to laugh maniacally. Ren was grinning like an idiot having the time of his life, and Masato had a similar joyous expression.

Ren moved his hands to get a better angle as Masato folded his arms to protect his sensitive torso, leaving an opening for Masato to quickly launch a tickle-attack of his own. The bluenette had barely touched the blond's neck when his shoulders folded up around his ears and he began shuddering with silent laughter. It was amusing how incredibly ticklish Ren was.

It was only when a strong masculine voice echoed down to them that Masato realized just how hugely he'd been grinning, because it was immediately wiped off his blanching face. The two boys went dead silent. The voice called out Masato's name again. "Is that your father?" whispered Ren. Masato replied with only a stiff nod as he hurriedly pushed Ren off him, standing up to grab his shoes and coat.

Ren looked concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Masato didn't respond, and when he was facing Ren again he looked dreadful.

"I'm going to be punished so badly for sneaking off and getting wet," he said in a closed, squeaky voice as his fathers voice roared his name. '_He's really, really mad,_' thought Masato with anxiety.

The sound of heavy, stomping footsteps brushing through the grass grew louder as Masato's father approached. "Don't come out," muttered Masato warningly as he dashed off, carrying his belongings. Ren obliged, pressing himself flat to the ground. Something about the tension Masato suddenly had worried him, and he was torn between staying hidden and backing Masato up.

A short distance away there came into view the silhouette of a man. As he saw Masato approach he shone the light from his mobile phone at him, inspecting the state of his sons attire before yanking him closer by the wrist. In a deadly calm tone that exuded anger the man began:"Masato. Where on earth have you been? You do realize I did not give you permission to leave. If people were to find out about this, I could become a laughing stock. They'd say 'if he can't be responsible for his own child, how can he be responsible for his company?' and it will be your fault if it ruins our families reputation! I am the head of Hijirikawa and you will only do things when I allow it!" By the end, Masato's father was yelling. Terrified by the man, Ren pressed himself further to the ground, cringing as the sound of a large palm made harsh contact with a small face.

"Look at how filthy and drenched you are! You won't be getting in my car in that appalling state. I will be back with the car in 5 minutes and if you don't find a way to be dry by then I'll be leaving without you."

Masato held his stinging cheek, not holding back the warm, silent tears of pain as his shoulders wracked with heavy sobs. He knew Ren had seen and heard the entire one-sided exchange between father and son, but he didn't have time to say anything to him. Didn't know what he _could_ possibly say. He knew it was wrong for his father to hit him and abuse him so, but talking to Ren about it wouldn't help in the slightest. His father was an adult, and they were both young children. There was nothing they could do.

His most immediate concern was to hurry and find a solution to his predicament. However, it was impossible to dry such damp clothing in the allocated time-frame, and the only plausible option was to remove his clothes. He kept his underwear on, but removed his shorts and shirt, folding them and putting them atop his shoes to carry. He wrapped his upper body in his still-dry coat, thankful he'd removed it before entering the water. Up ahead, he saw the headlights of a car approaching and the crunching of the gravel driveway under the car tyres. Masato knew it was his father, and knew that if he didn't meet with him as the car drove past, he really would leave him behind.

For a moment Masato was tempted to intentionally wait until his father was gone, hoping Ren's family would give him shelter. But he simply could not disobey his fathers orders, racing as fast as his legs could carry him to make it just in time to hurriedly open the door. His father turned in the drivers seat with a leathery groan, giving him a disgusted once-over before ordering: "leave the wet clothes behind. I'm not letting anything dirty this car."

Reluctantly, Masato threw his soaked shirt and pant's to the side of the driveway, keeping only his shoes and socks as he entered, clipping his seat-belt.

He hadn't realized how chilled he'd been until he sat in the car, heater warming the interior. He was tired and hungry, so even though he was in severe distress, the comfort of warmth and being in a moving vehicle soon lulled him to sleep.

"Oi, Hijirikawa, delivery for you," cooed Jinguji, shaking the bluenette awake. '_When did I fall asleep?_' Hijirikawa wondered in shame, sitting abruptly upright to rush over and collect the package from the post-man, still slightly drowsy.

It was his calligraphy supplies and all of his extensive piano sheet music and theory books, as well as books his father had instructed him to read during his year at Saotome Academy. As he signed the delivery contract, all he could think was '_How embarrassing. I'd been belittling him for taking a nap when I ended up doing it, as well.' _

The delivery man, tipping up his cap suggested "might need to get ya' friend there to help ya' bring it in. It's heavier than I thought it'd be." Hijirikawa felt like retorting 'he's not my friend!' but refrained from doing so. Instead, he thanked the man and fare-welled him.

From behind him a still-rough-from-sleep voice broached "so... Do you want some help with that? You heard him." Hijirikawa turned to Jinguji only briefly, noting his bed-head, before giving a stiff nod of approval. '_I suppose if he's offering there's no harm in it..._' Jinguji made his way over, positioning himself to lift, whilst Hijirikawa gripped the other end. "One... Two... Go," instructed Jinguji calmly, and in unison they lifted. It really was surprisingly heavy. "What on earth do you have in here?" exclaimed Jinguji, shuffling backwards into Hijirikawa's side of the room where they carefully placed the box down.

As Hijirikawa knelt down and tore the packing tape, he flatly said "you're overstaying your welcome. Remember, I keep to my side and you keep to yours." He was rummaging through the books, ready to sort them and allocate their spots on his bookshelf when Jinguji leaned on his back, arms draped over his shoulders, weight knocking him slightly off balance. "Aww, not even a thank-you~" Jinguji pouted playfully, lips brushing against Hijirikawa's ear as he spoke.

Flustered, Hijirikawa shoved him away, usual composure crumbling and face flushing. "Don't touch me like we're close! I'm grateful you helped me carry this, but I'd be even happier if you would get out of my private space!"

He immediately regretted his words when he saw genuine hurt cross Jinguji's face. In a less than charming voice he grumbled "okay. You're welcome. I'll leave you be now." Growing increasingly distressed, looking for any way to lessen the damage, Hijirikawa stammered "t-thanks for waking me up." Jinguji looked at him, plastering on a smile that faltered slightly. "Uh, no problem. I didn't know you were such a heavy sleeper. Even I woke up to the knocking," he teased dispiritedly. He must have know the thrown pillow aimed at the back of his head was coming, but he didn't duck or catch it. Instead, he simply chuckled as he said, dripping sarcasm like candle-wax, "I can feel the love, honey."

'_I'm furious. That's why my face is so red. It's why my pulse is racing. That happens when you're mad. That's the only explanation. Nothing else. It's because I hate him and I'm furious,_' went through Jinguji's mind as he turned back to his box of books over-energetically

After a few moments he had regained a certain degree of composure, and pondered his dream of the day he'd first met Jinguji. '_If I recall, he was at the next function I attended too, and he gave me back the clothes I'd thrown away._' Motion of his hands faltering as he stacked his books on the floor, heart still hammering from that damn touchy-feely Jinguji, Hijirikawa internally groaned.

'_Even after all that happened, it's seems like I don't exactly hate him._'


End file.
